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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fine · kick · field · chest · stock · toast · stand · wound

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. kick — in football
  3. stock — goods
  4. field — for sport
  5. stand — to bear
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. chest — of your body
  9. toast — bread
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. chest — of your body
  13. field — a subject
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stock — shares
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. wound — an injury
  20. chest — a box
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. fine — all right
  24. fine — high quality

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com